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Dear Friend,
Our office has long focused on teen mental health and suicide prevention. The pandemic has made this calling more urgent than ever, with Children's Hospital describing the situation as a state of emergency. ([link removed])

We operate Safe2Tell, the anonymous tip line where young people can report threats to the health and safety of themselves or their peers. The number one tip we receive is reports of suicidal intent, which is why we have promoted a public service awareness campaign targeting teens and urging them to break the silence on talking about mental health. ([link removed]) That message is more important than ever.

As we emerge from these difficult times, we all have challenges and opportunities with our mental health. For young people, these challenges--related to increased isolation, stress, loss, and anxiety--can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including increased substance abuse. To protect our young people at this critical time, we have developed the Healthy Youth/Strong Colorado Fund ([link removed]) , working with United Health Group. This partnership involves a $5 million investment in teen mental health and will support a range of programs supporting young people. These programs are designed to prevent teen suicide and to support the use of restorative practices rather than punitive measures for students with behavior challenges driven by trauma.

By addressing trauma and supporting young people, this partnership will make a real difference. More than that, this partnership was part of our work looking out for Colorado, calling on United Health Group to take the proceeds of a successful lawsuit and invest it in our state. In addition to the $5 million investment in youth mental health, United Health is also investing $25 million in the Western Slope through a donation to the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation. The Grand Junction Sentinel praised this partnership with “Gold Stars All Around,” ([link removed]) explaining how our “chutzpah” in asking for the funds made a real difference for Colorado.

In Colorado, we are at our best when we are there for one another. Being there for our young people is one of our most important callings as we work to get through this challenging time together.

If you know a teen who is experiencing mental health or substance use challenges, please visit this link ([link removed]) to learn about available resources in Colorado.

Thank you for joining me in this work.

Phil

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